1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a processing method performed in the image processing apparatus, and a computer program product.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image processing apparatuses including a facsimile apparatus, an image reading apparatus, a print apparatus, a copy apparatus, and a multi-function apparatus having functions of these apparatuses are required to save paper and are more strongly demanded by users to prevent print errors.
In addition, the image processing apparatus is also required to improve security, and it is necessary to set applications that are allowed to be used by users and also set applications that are prohibited from being used by users, and it is necessary to prohibit users from manipulating queued job made by other people.
The above application means functions for executing facsimile communication, network communication (including communication using the Internet), image reading (scanner), printing (print), or copying (copy).
In the past, when one queued job is selected, and a command is input to change or delete setting of the selected queued job, a user ID registered for the queued job is displayed, and a user authentication screen is displayed to prompt input of a password corresponding to the user ID.
Then, when a password given to the user authentication screen is determined to match the password corresponding to the user ID registered in the queued job, the image processing apparatus enables deletion or change of setting of the queued job. Such image processing apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-111743.
In the conventional apparatus described above, however, the queued job which is to be deleted or of which setting is to be changed may be finished before the user authentication is successfully made.
Accordingly, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-161677 discloses an image processing apparatus as follows.
When a clear/stop key is pressed down during copy/print execution of an image forming job after login, the print is temporarily stopped, and an authentication screen is displayed.
Subsequently, when a user name and a password which are input to the authentication screen are determined to respectively match the user ID and the password registered for the image forming job, the authentication screen is closed, and a copy operation halting screen is displayed.
When a cancel key displayed in the copy operation halting screen is determined to be pressed down, the image processing apparatus stops copy/print of the image forming job after login.
However, the above technique for cancelling copy/print of the image forming job after login during copy/print execution of the image forming job does not enable operation of changing or deletion of setting of queued jobs other than those being executed.
If an application usage permission can be set for each application such as copy, print, and scanner, the user is unable to stop a job of an application being executed unless the user has an application usage permission of the application being displayed (being executed) even if the user has been successfully authenticated to use the image processing apparatus.
Furthermore, if a setting has been made to temporarily stop all the queued jobs and the job in the currently-executed state, when a command is input to stop a job in a currently-executed state, all jobs are temporarily stopped as soon as an authentication screen is displayed. However, if the user does not have the application usage permission of the application being executed, the stop operation is rejected, and all the jobs are resumed.
Therefore, there is a problem in that, during execution of an application of which application usage permission is not given to the user, it is impossible to perform operation of changing or deletion of setting of other queued jobs.
Therefore, there is a need for an image processing apparatus and a processing method performed therein that are capable of performing such operation that, when a user successfully passed authentication and is allowed to manipulate jobs but there are not only a job in the currently-executed state but also a job in an execution standby state, the user can manipulate the job in the execution standby state without passing authentication of the job in the currently-executed state.